Early Intervention
Family Support Strategy
Improving outcomes for all children,
young people and families
POLICE
WEST YORKSHIRE
Calderdale
NHS
Children Board
Calderdale
Safeguarding
Contents
1. Introduction
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1.1 Our Strategic Vision
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1.2 Our Strategic Aims
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1.3 Our Values
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1.4 Our Strategic Priorities
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1.5 Effectiveness in Service Delivery
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1.6 Delivering Improved Outcomes
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1.7 Strategic Analysis
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1.7.1 National Context
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1.7.2 Local Context
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1.8 Key Partners
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1.9 Governance
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1.10 Current Expenditure
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2. Calderdale Needs Analysis 2011
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3. Strategic Objectives
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3.1 Continuum of Need and CAF
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4. Challenges and Risks
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Introduction
Our Early Intervention Family Support Strategy refers to a way of working that
means providing interventions early to support and build resilience amongst children,
young people and their families - particularly those that may be vulnerable. In doing
this, we aim to promote good outcomes and prevent the unnecessary development
of complex needs in the future.
Whilst early intervention has been at the forefront of many services’ thinking to date,
we require an overarching strategy which focuses on Early Intervention across the
piece. This strategy will guide the development of our own services and those
services that we commission to ensure that the most vulnerable in our communities
receive the assistance they need in order to achieve the very best they can in all
areas of their lives. The Early Intervention Family Support Strategy is underpinned
by the Calderdale Children and Young People’s Partnership Strategic Planning
Framework 2011-2015.
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1 1. Context
1.1 Our Strategic Vision
All Children in Calderdale are Happy – Safe – Successful
We will achieve our vision by
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Using resources jointly for those in greatest need
Delivering services early and locally
Involving people in decision making
Encouraging collaboration
Developing innovative and creative ways of working
Celebrating excellence
Our Strategic Aims
Working together we will ensure that children and young people in Calderdale
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Start healthy and stay healthy
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Are safe at home, in school and in the community
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Enjoy learning and achieve their best
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Make friends and take part in activities
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Stay in education and get a job
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Our Values
We share these values as the basis for our work
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Respect
value, regard and reliability
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Inclusion
belonging and involvement
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Integrity
honesty, trust and fairness
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Commitment
tenacity and courage
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2 1.4
Our Strategic Priorities
We will achieve our aims by focusing on the following priorities and specific objectives,
so that children and young people in Calderdale:
Start healthy and stay healthy
We will
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Improve the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable and deprived
Reduce teenage conceptions and the harm caused by alcohol
Reduce the number of children between the ages of 5 and 10 who are obese
Reduce the number of children and young people who die
Are safe at home, in school and in the community
We will
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Increase the number of children and young people who feel safe at school and in
the community
Increase the support we provide for children and young people within their
families
Reduce the harm caused to children and young people through domestic
violence, parental alcohol abuse and mental health
Enjoy learning and achieve their best
We will
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Raise attainment to narrow the gap in the early years and amongst specific groups
Increase the number of good and outstanding schools
Develop and embed collaborative practice across all phases of education
Make friends and take part in activities We will
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Support children and young people to make informed decisions about their lives and
relationships
Involve children and young people in the design, delivery and improvement of our
services
Increase the number of vulnerable young people engaged in local activities
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3 Stay in education and get a job
We will
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Increase the number of young people staying on in education and training
Increase the number of apprenticeship places available
Raise attainment to narrow the gap at age 19 for young people from low income
families
In line with the Children and Young People’s Partnership Strategic vision we
will:
1. Ensure children receive the right type of support in their earliest years, when
they should achieve their most rapid development;
2. Develop new ways of working, making sure appropriate response is given to
a child, young person, or family at the time when a difficulty or increased
vulnerability first arises;
3. Support parents to develop skills aspirations and self-esteem
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4 1.5 Effectiveness in Service Delivery
Enhancing the effectiveness of local services to meet the needs of children, young
people and families is one driver for the Strategy. This requires:
Strategic commitment to a 10 year Strategy - Cross party Cabinet agreement;
support from the Calderdale Assembly and the Health & Wellbeing Board, together
with financial commitment from all partners. Moving resources towards early
intervention within mainstream budgets is a long term goal. Implementation and full
delivery of the Strategy may take several years to achieve and is part of a wider
process to mainstream prevention. The Strategy outlines a range of actions which
need to be delivered incrementally. In all areas however, robust partnerships will be
needed to shape, resource and deliver the Strategy.
Strong and consistent leadership - supported by simple and effective
management structures to ensure objectives and responsibilities are clear,
unambiguous and fully understood by partners at all levels of organisations.
An effective communications and consultation plan – using the OutcomesBased Accountability (OBA) process, outcomes, measures and action plans will be
determined and agreed at locality level by all stakeholders. Report cards will be
produced quarterly to ensure communities are informed of progress against
outcomes in a clear and transparent process.
Integrated working and performance management– utilising the OBA process we
will promote an holistic approach where vulnerable children and groups can be
identified quickly and outcomes achieved efficiently, taking full account of the area
and community components of children’s well-being. Stakeholder accountability for
outcomes will be mutually agreed in localities and performance managed efficiently.
Co-location - continue the commitment to the co-location of services, as a priority
within communities with high levels of need and existing low levels of access to
services.
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5 1.6 Delivering Improved Outcomes
To successfully deliver improved outcomes for children, young people and families,
the Strategy will be underpinned by the following principles:
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strategic adoption of the OBA process;
delivering excellent customer service;
the need to adopt a whole family approach, giving recognition to the complex
nature of children and young people’s and families’ lives;
the need for all practitioners to develop integrated working practices;
a gradual shift to preventative and early intervention approaches without
compromising those children and young people who are, currently, most in
need of services;
a recognition that some services will need to support young people in the
transition from childhood to adulthood, and will be geared to their needs;
the need to develop a culture where the views of children, young people and
families are routinely sought in matters which impact on their lives;
the need to ensure the needs of children are fully assessed, using agreed
frameworks and common language, and the services they receive are based
on identified needs and evidence about what works;
there is ‘no wrong door’ and contact with any service gives an open door into
a system of joined-up support;
practitioners work in partnerships with families recognising and promoting
resilience and helping them to build their capabilities;
providers and commissioners of children’s services will work in partnership
securing and harnessing the support of parents, carers and the communities
in which children and young people live;
responding appropriately to the challenges faced by particular communities
and recognising children and young people are key to securing a more
stronger and stable future for all;
the need to decommission some existing services;
driving forward a shared culture that respects and progresses the rights of the
child and young person
support for communities to become resilient, healthy, inclusive and
sustainable;
support for parents to develop skills and confidence in raising their children
and young people;
the need for services to work together to remove barriers to opportunity faced
by some children and young people. Thus acknowledging that the welfare of
children and young people is a shared responsibility.
the need to develop a consistent partnership approach to implementing
restorative practices in directly delivered and commissioned services.
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6 1.7
Strategic Analysis
The Strategy has been developed in the context of significant legal and financial
change, these include:
1.7.1 National Context
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Significant reductions in funding allocations to Local Authorities as outlined in
the Comprehensive Spending Review and confirmed in the Revenue Support
Grant Settlement for 2011-2012.
The removal of ring fencing and reduction in number, and total value, of grant
allocations.
Redefining of the Children’s Centre Core Offer in the Core Purpose
The publication of crucial policy documents, including: The Munro Review of
Child Protection; The Foundation Years, Preventing Poor Children Becoming
Poor Adults (Field, 2010); Early Intervention, The Next Steps (Allen, 2011);
Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (Tickell); A New Approach to
Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming
Families’ Lives, (DWP, DfE 2011) Positive for Youth (DFE, 2011); Localism
Act 2012.
Voluntary and community sector (VCS) providers of commissioned and grant
aided services currently provide a range of services to vulnerable and ‘hard to
reach’ children and young people. The sector also represents opportunities
for developing value for money provider markets.
Developments, outlined in the Schools White Paper 2010 The Importance of
Teaching and the Education Bill, in funding to schools, the development of
more independent models of school provision and the emergence of schools
as significant local commissioners.
Proposals for significant changes to the provision of support for children and
young people with special educational needs and disabilities outlined in the
Green Paper Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs
and disability.
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The Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS White Paper Equity and Excellence:
Liberating the NHS and changes to the responsibility to commission health
care which will move from Primary Care Trusts to GP consortia as well as
changing the role of the Local Authority in overseeing local health services.
Changes to the provision of Public Health, outlined in the Public Health White
Paper, Healthy Lives, Healthy People.
The removal of the statutory requirement for local areas to have a Children’s
Trust Board or a Children and Young People’s Plan.
Local and national arrangements for Health Watch that would mean that
children and young people’s voices “are fed into local commissioning” and that
the internet and evidence-based tools for engagement are used to gather the
views of children, young people and their parents, drawing on the expertise of
local authorities.
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A potential radical change in the function of Children and Young People’s
Services from being a significant provider to being mainly a commissioner of
services.
The DfE Children’s Centres Payment by Results trial (in which Calderdale’s
Children’s Centres are participating)
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill 2010-12
Police reform and social responsibility act 2011, introduction of police and
crime commissioners and police and crime panels.
Ministry of Justice drive in increased use of Restorative Practices, establishing
the setting up of neighbourhood restorative panels.
Within this complex and changing environment our continuing priority is to ensure
children, young people and families are supported to achieve their potential, have
access to high quality, value for money services that meet their needs, and we
continue to close the gap in health and other inequalities experienced by and
between our populations.
1.7.2 Local Context
Early Intervention and prevention services in Calderdale are currently delivering
some high quality, effective work across the Borough through both centrally-based
provision (Early Years Consultants, Early Years teachers, Families’ Information
Service, Family Intervention Team, Young People’s Service, various private and
voluntary sector organisations etc) and area-based provision (Children’s Centres,
Childcare Quality and Development team, Family Support, Young People’s Service,
Youth Offending Team).
However, from consultation workshops it has become apparent:
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There is a lack of shared understanding about what different services
contribute to prevention;
Inter-agency co-ordination can be further improved to ensure resources are
used most effectively to deliver shared objectives;
That parents are being asked the same questions over and over again, and
sometimes feel judged rather than supported;
That agencies, rather than families, determine the right time for support;
There are too many box-ticking style performance indicators;
There is too little one-to-one support for children with complex needs;
There is too great a focus on higher tier services;
There is a long waiting list for Family Support;
There is uncertainty about future funding.
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8 1.8 Key Partners
Key partners who will need to be involved as this Strategy is developed and
implemented include:
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Calderdale MBC:
o Elected Members
o Children and Young People’s Services (both as commissioner and
provider)
o Adult Health and Social Care
o Housing, Safer and Stronger, Finance and Legal Services
Calderdale College
Schools
Calderdale GP Consortium
Calderdale Local Safeguarding Children Board
Children and young people, parents and carers Schools
Director of Public Health/Public Health
NHS Calderdale
NHS Providers
Private and independent sector providers
The voluntary and community sector (VCS)
West Yorkshire Police and criminal justice system.
Calderdale Youth Offending Team
Governance
Following removal of the statutory requirement for a Children’s Trust Board, revised
governance arrangements have been developed incorporating the role of the Health
and Wellbeing Board, its oversight of service commissioning, and any joint
commissioning arrangements. In addition, the current structure of strategic sub
groups, many of which reflect previous grant based funding streams, will need to be
revised and streamlined.
As these structures are developed we will need to retain and develop arrangements
for ensuring children, young people, parents, carers and other stakeholders, such as
the VCS, continue to be appropriately involved in the development and oversight of
strategic plans.
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9 1.10 Current expenditure
Taking into account the Council’s budget proposals for 2012-2013 it is estimated that
at least £255m will be spent across schools, children and young people’s services
and the NHS. This includes grant funding from the NHS and Children and Young
People’s Services (CYPS) in the Council to VCS organisations but does not include
other Council directorates or expenditure by services which are delivered to the
whole community including children and young people, such as, for example, the
Police or GPs.
£m
(£m ) 160
(£m ) 56
(£m ) 39
NHS
Schools
Schools
160
Health Spending
(approx)
39
CYPS
56.31
CYPS
Figure: Estimated expenditure on services for
children and young people 2012 – 2013
TOTAL Spend
255.31
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2. Children and Young People Needs Analysis – Calderdale in 2011
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There are about 50,000
children and young
people aged 0 – 18 and
61,000 aged 0-25.
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Approximately 8000 children
live in households with noone in employment.
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About 2,500 births per
year and the under 15
population is projected
to increase rapidly in
both 2014 and 2019.
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5046 children are eligible for
Free School Meals.
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As of 31st January 2012
there were 463 (6.7%) 16
and 17 year olds who were
not in education, employment
or training, down from 524
(8.6%) in 2009.
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There are over 33,000
children enrolled in 101
Calderdale Maintained
Schools of which there
are 87 Primary and 14
Secondary (Including
Special Schools).
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18.5% of the school
population are from a
minority ethnic group.
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76.5% (1997) of
students achieved 5 A*C GCSE’s, in 2010
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In 2009-10 the obesity
rate for children in
reception was 7.7%,
however for children in
year 6 it increases to
17.4% and this rate is
increasing.
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There are an estimated 1500
young carers, of which 280
are known to the Young
Carers service.
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Approximately 3000 children
and young people aged 5-16
will have an identifiable
mental health problem
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48% of young people in the
electronic health needs
assessment indicated that
they had experience of being
bullied.
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For 2006/08 Calderdale had
an Infant Mortality Rate of
5.8 compared to an England
rate of 4.8.
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In 2010 2238 children were
present at 1251 Domestic
Violence incidents (WY
police).
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The quarterly teenage
conception rate for
quarter 3, 2009 was
48.3, per thousand
females aged 15-17.
This is a drop of 9.6%
from the 1998
baseline.
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918 pupils have a
Statement of
Educational Need.
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Approximately 156
Children have a Child
Protection Plan
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There are
approximately 775
Disabled Children with
a range of needs
(based on a census in
November 2008).
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As of 31 March 2010
there were 270 Looked
after Children.
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For the period 2006-10
over 130 young people
were referred to the
child sexual
exploitation cocoordinator.
Ref: Calderdale Commissioning Strategy 2011
(See also the Calderdale Child Poverty Needs Assessment: www.calderdale.gov.uk)
The map overleaf shows the most deprived areas of Calderdale and indicates where
the concentration of resources for early intervention need to be deployed to ensure
we close the gap and, in doing so, address exclusion and inequality.
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11 12 3. Strategic Objectives
1. Children receive the right type of support in their earliest years, when they
should achieve their most rapid development
2. Develop new ways of working, making sure appropriate response is given to a
child, young person or family at the time when a difficulty or increased
vulnerability first arises
3. Support parents to develop skills aspirations and self-esteem
Objective 1 - Children receive the right type of support in their earliest years, when
they should achieve their most rapid development.
‘The earliest years in a child’s life are absolutely critical, providing the essential
foundations for healthy development. If these foundations are not secure,
children can experience long-term problems which often present wider social
consequences. Children’s attainment, wellbeing, happiness and resilience are
profoundly affected by the quality of the guidance, love and care they receive
during the first years of their lives’ (Tickell, 2011).
Early Education:
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By providing an infrastructure of support to deliver high quality early education
and childcare to all children 0-5 years through private, voluntary, independent
settings
Ensuring the effective commissioning of Children’s Centre and early help
provision, and the robust monitoring and evaluation through stringent
performance management processes
Continuing to support the universal offer of high quality childcare and early
education (0-5) across the Borough
Continuing to offer high quality childcare and early education to
vulnerable/disadvantaged 2 year olds
To continue to offer high quality childcare and early education to all 3 year
olds through Nursery Education Funding
Locality-based Early Help Teams
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We will create Locality-based Early Intervention Teams so all families, with
children in the Borough, will have access to support from a dedicated Key
Worker together with an infrastructure of support from professionals from the
public, private and voluntary sectors.
In Tier 1 (universal) services, this will be provided by a re-focused Health
Visitor (HV) role. These HV Key Workers will provide specialist health support
and early intervention referrals to specialist agencies and professionals.
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In higher Tier (2/3) cases, HV Key Workers will continue to provide universal
services, and will work alongside other specialists (such as Family Support
Workers). These interventions will be triggered by HV Key Workers at the first
signs of difficulties arising. The CAF process will continue to be used.
In higher Tier (4) cases HV Key Workers will continue to work alongside other
specialists (such as Family Intervention Key Workers).
In the highest Tier (5) cases HV Key Workers will continue to support where
appropriate alongside other specialists.
For young people, the following will apply;
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Tier 1 services are provided by schools, community based activities and
Connexions/IAG
Tier 2/3 services are currently provided by open access youth provision (95%
of Council funded youth provision is in the 30% most disadvantaged areas),
through specialist services such as EIS key workers, Branching Out and
sexual health services
Tier 2/3 services are, and will be, provided by both statutory and voluntary
sector providers
In higher tier, key workers continue to offer support
Objective 2 - Develop new ways of working, to make sure appropriate responses
are given to a child, young person or family at the time when a difficulty or increased
vulnerability first arises
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We will build on the existing good practice of area-based working so the new
Locality-based Early Intervention Teams will provide the co-ordination of
Keyworkers and Health and Voluntary Sector professionals, alongside
Children’s Social Care, working to Tier 2/3 on the Continuum of Need.
We will build on the work carried out through YPS and YOT to create a single
Early Intervention and Support Service for young people, using a single
database and targeted Youth Support Panels at a locality level in order to
create a partnership approach.
We will develop systems, through OBA and integrated commissioning, for
locality planning which will build on existing partnership structures and good
practice between the Local Authority, Health, public, private and voluntary
sectors, parents, carers, children, and young people.
We will reduce the number of 16/17 year olds becoming homeless.
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Objective 3 – Support parents to develop skills aspirations and self-esteem
‘What parents do is more important than who they are. Especially in a child’s
earliest years, the right kind of parenting is a bigger influence on their future than
wealth, class, education or any other common social factor.’ (Allen 2011)
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We will co-ordinate, monitor, and evaluate all parenting provision across the
Borough, through integrated commissioning, to ensure high quality, costeffective programmes are delivered to achieve desired outcomes.
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We will acknowledge that some specific groups e.g. young parents, need
differentiated support from suitably experienced staff.
3.1 Developing a shared language and common understanding of
the Calderdale Continuum of Need and the Common Assessment
Framework
In order to ensure a shared language and common understanding amongst partner
agencies, the Early Intervention Family Support Strategy has been developed
around the Continuum of Need, alongside the Common Assessment Framework, to
provide a consistent approach to children and young people who are or may be
vulnerable/or at risk.
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4. Challenges and Risks
To support the delivery of the Strategy in full, the following challenges and risks will
need to be considered and faced:
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cultural change across organisations;
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jointly commissioning effectively across organisations and moving financial
and human resources towards early help;
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decommissioning services and the potential development of other services;
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identifying which resources could be re-aligned;
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identifying the scale of new resources required to deliver the Strategy and the
savings through early help preventing escalation to higher tier, more
expensive services that may accrue in the longer term;
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the aligning and pooling of resources to deliver on shared and agreed
objectives;
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multi agency professional development and training opportunities for staff ensuring that staff in all agencies use CAF, and that this integrates other
existing assessments.
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